Ortofon 2M Black Reviews

Ortofon 2M Black

In terms of sound quality it is good value but I harbour doubts about trackability at least in the 9 inch Pro-ject arm I use. Slightly increased tracking weight to 2g and more significant increase in bias have helped but it is not perfect even now. Huge cost of replacement stylus is another downside, hence 4 stars.

I found setup to be relatively easy. This cartridge delivers a wide sound stage, detailed highs, a lush mid-range, and precise bass. It's being used with a Lehmann Black Cube phono preamp which has turned out to be an excellent combination. I can't imagine that there's a better moving magnet cartridge for performance and value. I highly recommend it.

At first hearing, I thought this could be the one. Detailed but rich, smooth, big soundstage, fairly dynamic. And yet the more I listened to it, the less I liked it. For me, the problem is the otherwise ravishing midrange. I like lush as much as the next guy, but it sounded congealed, without the separation heard in the 2M Bronze. Maybe with more fiddling of the VTA that problem could have been ameliorated; I don't know. Definitely worth trying. I'm still searching for the perfect (for me) cartridge, though my Allaerts MC1 eco comes oh so close (at 3x the price and basically unobtanium).

9-10 ONLY because it is sooo reveling, The stylus guard is a bit difficult to use and proper set up is a bit unnerving! I don't want to characterize it as bright because that in audio terms is usually a bad thing well nothing bad here. If you use this with tubes (even at the step-up level) you will be rewarded with sound(s) you have never heard before from the SAME LPs you have listened to for years! That being said...CLEAN YOUR ALBUMS BEFORE YOU USE THIS CART!!

See also my review of the Audio Technica AT150AVN where these two outstanding cartridges are further compared. The 2M Black has a very forward projection and really has a rich sonorous midrange. The highs and lows are extended and clear, but the big news is the absolutely amazing midrange. Fantastic for jazz vocals, nothing I have heard beats the 2M Black in this regard. Nothing. The Shibata stylus is fussy to set up and care must be taken especially with vertical tracking angle to avoid excessive surface noise. At just over 7 grams, this cartridge is reasonably light in weight and compatible with a wide variety of light to medium weight tonearms. It is nice to know that a replacement stylus is available and the price is reasonable. Much easier than is the case for MC cartridges, a real advantage for MM designs. In this case, though, in comparison with the AT150AVN, whereas Ortofon will have the 2M stylii for the duration, there are no AT150AVN stylii and never were. This means that when my AT150AVN stylus is worn out, the replacement will be a MLX, which is not as sophisticated. All things considered, the 2M Black is one of the best cartridges on the market. Highly recommended.

Probably the best MM I have ever listened to.It tracks like a bloodhound and sounds like an expensive MC cartridge.Not being the easiest to set up,it needs special attention with the VTA too.But is is worth it and then there is the added benefit of the replaceable needle.Great cartridge and not dry sounding at all,as some have suggested.It merely plays what the grooves contain.

Not much different to the other opinions above: this cartridge, in my 34 years of audio experience, puts the words hi-fi in a right level, not experienced before I heard this little gem. It presents your music to you in a classy, delicate but different way. It shows you several planes, the instruments take their place almost physically , and the voices sound without harshness, very human. The tonal balance is just perfect. As I read in one of the thousands of reviews of this cartridge, this will be the last MM cartridge I should buy. Man, you're right.

I'm knocked out with the way this cart can rock and then deliver more complex recordings equally as compellingly. I've heard £1000+ MC carts that don't sound as involving as this. Of course, the rest of your system needs to be of a sufficient level to get the best from it. I'm currently using my 2M Black with a heavily modified Technics 1210 mk2, Rega Fono Mini, Burson Ha 160 headphone amp and Sennheiser HD 600 cans and the result is awesome. This cart really brings the music to life and gives it that live feel.

Replaced original Stanton 981Hz that came with my DP62L back in 1984...an order of magnatude more of everything...musical...detailed...quiet...tracking...fast...with all the expected/desired dynamics!!!

upgraded from a 2m red to the 2m black - picked one up second hand on ebay for Â£200 with 150 hours on it (claimed) - It sounds fantastic and a big difference to the red - I cant see how anything could sound much better than this - highly recommended1

I am using this on a Project XpressionIII table. The 2M Black was a replacement for by aging Shure V15 Type V-MR. The tracking is as good or better than the Shure. The musical performance seems to be llimited only by the quality of the recording. There is a great tonal balance across the audio spectrum and all of my records have details that I have previously not heard. You could almost say this is High Def for vinyl. As you can see from my comments above, I am very happy with this cartridge. My only detractor would be to say that the connecting pins for the wiring could have had more separation making for less chance of a short. This was easy to work around during installation and the rest of the installation was easy. Highly recommended